Headlining the latest instalment of Phil Taggart’s renowned Slacker night, Sundara Karma blazed into East London’s Kamio bringing an epic party with them.

Armed with a selection of new cuts from debut album ‘Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect’, and fresh off the back of their own sold out UK tour, it’s a rare occurrence to see this band in such an intimate setting these days and the infrequency of the occasion is not lost on the crowd. Storming into ‘A Young Understanding’ and ‘Olympia’ their building sonic presence tears through the room immediately.

‘She Said’ showcases the four-piece’s incredible knack for summing up youth in a nutshell which is evidenced with references to The Smiths’ ‘Strangeways Here We Come’ and lines like, “Acting like he doesn’t care but he’s really the most self-aware.” Set against, now quintessential, soaring riffs and bouncing percussion, their sound is nothing short of euphoric.

The penultimate track is the touching Happy Family, it’s semi-autobiographical and more mellow nature allows the East London crowd to reflect for a moment in between the frenzied and ramshackle effect the rest of the show has on them.

Closing with the anthemic ‘Loveblood’ it’s hard to pin down one pinnacle of the evening. Consistency has always been a strong point for the Reading quartet – with every release being just as infectious as the last – this paired with the adoring audience gazing in front of them, it’s a definite sign things will continue to go from strength to strength for Sundara Karma.

Words: Shannon Cotton

Photos: Lauren McDermott